Despite the humid conditions, Gallagher walked onstage in a trademark jacket, one that he continued wearing throughout the entire show. To say he and his touring band received a positive reception would be an extreme understatement. Gallagher kicked things off with ‘Rock’n’Roll Star’ from Oasis’ classic debut album. If the crowd weren’t already in a buoyant mood after hearing this, following it up with ‘Morning Glory’ certainly kicked them into gear.
Following the belter of an opening to the show, Gallagher performed four songs in a row from his debut album. ‘Wall of Glass’ sounded great live, while the emotion of ‘Paper Crown’ was clear for all to hear. Though people admittedly used this time to head to the bar more so than during the Oasis songs, those who had listened to the album clearly enjoyed these songs. If it weren’t for less emphatic response at their conclusion, for the uninitiated it wouldn’t have been clear which songs belonged to Oasis and which was his solo material.
As You Were is arguably better than Oasis’ albums were at the end of their career and as such, these new songs slot in nicely with vintage Oasis cuts such as ‘Some Might Say’ and ‘Live Forever’.
Despite the fact you couldn’t really hear Gallagher’s chatter between songs, there was a lot of love going back and forth. One of the most divisive people in music today treated loyal fans to a show to remember. If it wasn’t already a great night, being able to say you’ve been in the same room as Liam Gallagher and sung ‘Wonderwall’ with him and a few thousand people was enough on its own to make the evening one for the books.
Highlight: The energy in the venue.
Lowlight: The lack of air conditioning.
Crowd Favourite: ‘Wonderwall’.
